Friday night, 3rd June 2016
Dearest friend,
Do you believe in God?
Tonight, I’m feeling profoundly inspired; extremely happy and humble – and I give thanks to the universe for this turn on my emotions!
In this letter I would like to explore my concepts of God and spiritual beliefs...
To begin, I would just like to point out that my view of God isn’t a materialistic one – inspired by any religious order or conformity – but mine rather stems from a strongly sentient nature.
In one sense, I don’t so much perceive God in a bodily form, but instead I experience what I feel to be divine energy; a collective force we all embody – both the seen and unseen creations of the universe.
Some call this “The Law of Attraction” – the universe sending out a message from your subconscious, more call it their materialistic motivations (positive psychology); some call it religious faith or the angel on their shoulder, and others view it as spiritual intuition or connecting to their God-Space.
I’ve never considered myself to be an orthodox person - I respect and admire the power all religious faiths have, and sometimes find myself engrossed in the religion/spiritual sections of the public library; gaining an understanding of both the positive and negative impacts these belief systems have on culture and the local communities, as well as the security it’s provided people on advancing their morale, or a comfort in giving a sense of purpose.
I also observe how, in many cases across the globe, religion can be taken out of context and cause a lot of bigotry and frustration in modern times…
There always seems to be that clash between the conservatives and liberals (no remedy in-between!); a lot of misinformation caused and people in our society becoming outcasts.
I believe there is a lot of power in prayer (self-belief) and a sense of belonging in the presence of churches (sanctuaries of people’s God), however I strongly detest that distinction between people because of their ethnic groups, differences in faith or even treatment towards those who don’t belong to any religious belief…
Humanity have missed something; I strongly believe this… We are not that different in a humanistic comparison; we all come into the world defenceless, in need of love and security, and each have our own life purpose to discover!
This purpose, however, isn’t worldly goods or materialistic fortunes, but something of a unique kind.
It’s personal to all of us – as we connect with the universe by an inner language, that only “God” as your life-long guide could fully comprehend. This force works simultaneously, I believe.
I think Divine Love speaks for all unheard pain; it’s that essence which fills the void, empowers the weak and is the compassionate voice we could all relate our favourite love-song…
Essentially, it’s that loud feeling from within, that springs from our chests and sings to the rooftops without care; it is that impassioned truth that years to be expressed and heard!
It’s that mysterious drive that motivates the uncertain minds, it’s that bliss which beautifully trusts in the moment and experiencing life with full integrity; purely by putting faith in the unknown and listening to that special source from within you!
For me, I didn’t find God. Instead, God happened to me! There is no better way to describe it, really.
I think all of us, whether we like to admit it or not, have sometimes envisioned our lives through the perspective an outsider might looking in; the way the lens of an unseen camera captures your moment – or felt as though you possessed a hidden self.
One half is your interactive self; your social expression and the way the world might judge your personality type. This is a side of yourself discovered from life experiences, your upbringing, cultural habits and even maybe the accent you habit.
These are all behaviours learned; giving the outside world a superficial representation of how you adapt in the world around you, and how you perceive yourself in progressing society.
No one fully, except your other half, understands emotionally your life’s journey and how it’s led you up to this point. This is not because the people we encounter in later life are any less compatible; in fact, the opposite is true.
We all experience this dual identification; that part we discover from life experience and the precedent one through which we grow up with emotionally…this is your soul being recognized!
I come to believe that this inner part of us is more like a keen observer as we go about live than the decider of action; like the vehicle being driven its path.
Of course, this source is the essence in a complete person - but all living things have their primal instincts and natural flaws, too, so the process is one that becomes known with emotional growth with us as a person.
For some people, this discovery can be scary, especially if they’ve been raised under religious indoctrination and are new to questioning the possibilities for themselves. If anything, I feel complete compassion for their position - even if some cant step out from within that scope and consider a way of seeing life that may be foreign to their own.
Even so, at the heart of things, everyone’s beliefs are personal to them, just as everyone’s relationship with the universe is an on-going process throughout their experiencing life...
It’s all a question of their present perception and the message they project out to the universe on a spiritual or subconscious level.
Humans have a tendency to expect “straightforward” answers; to have their paths steered by outer forces (such as what we now call authority figures), and for that process to be as simple to follow and direct to comprehend.
Needless to say, we all want our experiences on earth to be a comfortable one; for things to be predictable and to reach as much safe ground in our destinations.
But what conversely happens (in the majority of our complex societies of the world) is that life throws challenges our way; the unexpected we come to meet and any opposites we encounter allow us to re-evaluate any preconceptions we inhabit in the rudimentary sense.
In most instances, it isn’t always easy for people to see value in this predicament or even to consider the possibility as an “opportunity,” due to our current fear-driven perceptions at large.
And I am not suggesting people of a particular group or belief system; even the most liberal of sorts share their own prejudices.
This isn’t a social conflict I’m addressing due to different educational backgrounds or a preference of option due to one’s current status quo per se, but an observation I feel is inevitable in our natural flow of life, and which direction our hearts take us depend to a large extent from our life experiences or environmental influences.
I know that probably seems like a bit of a contradiction from the way I’ve limitedly described my point of view, but it’s no paradox that a variety of factors are at play, and a concept which begs more questions than provides simple answers.
Most people obsess a “right/wrong” conviction that they might possibly be neglecting the art of living; we only really know what works for us by experiencing - speculation just leads to more questions and unchallenged bias judgements (my case in point!).
I hope as I grow that I’ll be able to adapt better judgement and to gain a stronger understanding of humanity than I fail to articulate here.
I’m confident that, the process of life and with my willingness in mind, I’ll be able to possess that knowledge.
The reality, as far as I can see, is that life (with all its flavours and complexities) are never simply defined or black and white to distinguish.
And maybe that is the very intention of our being here; to consider more than one way of living, more than one way of thinking, and to consider new or different ways of approaching and connecting with God/the universe.
When we really consider it as a collective, we’ve only scratched the surface of our innate potential and true worth in the face of existence.
Some might visualize this as their spiritual identity (not technically their religious front, but their relationship with God/the universe), and others might take a more intellectual approach and call this growth in their emotional intelligence as sentient beings.
Some people feel content and safe within the religious status they’re accustomed to, and that is perfectly fine. Who am I to judge?
If this strong faith brings people security and provides the means to truly help believers prosper and become better, more decent human beings (emotionally), and people’s treatment towards others and the world around them has enhanced (behavioural), no one can deny that the power of good faith has its rich resources.
But enough about my preaching. It was never my intention to make this letter so far about questioning or, darn right, refusing to accept beliefs outside of my way of life!
And yet, I must admit, much of my objections are aroused due to some of the world’s assumptions about me, or people like us.
In this regard, I mean my evolving sexuality and the question of whether a God in which the people abide could possibly accept same-sex lovers, or more explicitly, a “man who sleeps with another man”…
It saddens me greatly, that my capacity to love, feel as a complex person and share with people, is reduced to one act expressed.
I have no doubt that God, as spirit guide and friend, loves me – but, still, in the eyes of much humanity and religious teaching today I’m an abomination and looked at with disgust and pity.
On the contrary, sexuality has always meant more to me than labels, and is truly a complex part of our being, as much our gender. At our true essence, we are much more than simply the bodies and sex we inhabit.
For myself, I’ve always recognized this from a spiritual place, which is why I’ve no problem embracing both the masculine and feminine features my body and mind exudes.
This isn’t me trying to stand out, be different or seek some grand attention; this is simply a feeling of liberation by me showing my true authentic self to those that care to know me, which is really just a person that relates a great deal to people of both sexes.
However society might categorize this measure, I know at a deeper level we are one and the same in spirit, which is what makes reaching the hearts of some in body so rewarding during the human experience.
Despite any mixed messages, brought on by old age religious institutions or the bullies of my past, I carry on – trusting in my conscience; seeing the beauty and goodness of things all the while, in many of the ways God has presented to all my senses.
But, more importantly, I’ve developed a respect and acknowledgement for all things unseen.
As I have drawn out earlier, unseen as the souls venturing through life, not afraid to take risks, finding their place in the world and forming their social make-up.
Come to think of it, we all begin life as wanderers, and grow up to be taught about societal norms and cultural expectations brought by those who came before us.
I don’t mean to rant again; I’m simply aware that prejudice breathes hate and is something which is practiced out of fear; therefore, I leave speculations of this kind for God to judge, and focus more my energies on those important to my way of living, and well within my control. I know, God-willing, life has a way of revealing to us the answers we seek, should we really listen!
I put faith in the possibility that one day a great change will take it’s course, where people – no matter what their religion or beliefs – will find it in their hearts to accept LGBT people as their equals, for I am firmly convinced that this is also how God sees all of us!
On that note, what does God mean to you and your life? Questions like these are usually provided with controversial answers, which is why I never really discuss matters of this nature; not only because I wouldn’t want to impose or offend, but also because my own discoveries are forever growing, changing and kept close to my heart.
This might explain why God has such an intimate take on my life, but I’ve yet to describe how that took shape.